The subject invention concerns a method and a device for performing the method, for response to a spill on water whereby e.g. one end of an oil boom is towed from the shore of a watercourse with flowing water e.g. a river, at an angle to the water current, to a suitable position in the watercourse, using a waterborne current rudder. The current rudder is secured to one end of a line, the other end of the line is secured ashore, allowing the current rudder to move out into the stream and to maintain one end of the oil boom in a suitable position in the watercourse, while the other end of the oil boom is secured to shore further downstream, where an oil recovery device is positioned.
The current rudder is fitted with a balance rudder operated by a line or a remote control from shore, allowing the current rudder and the oil boom end attached thereto, to be recovered to shore when so required.
The method can also be used to protect the shoreline from being impacted by oil, by securing the upstream end of the oil boom to shore and using the current rudder to tow the downstream end of the oil boom out from the shore.
The method can also be applied from a vessel making speed through the water. The current rudder, secured to one end of a line, the other end of the line being secured to the fore part of the vessel, tows out one end of an oil boom from the side of the ship, the other end of the oil boom being secured to the vessel""s oil recovery device or to an oil recovery device being towed by the vessel. Current rudders with oil booms can be operated from both sides of the vessel at the same time, to increase the oil recovery swath and to counteract the steering imbalance of the vessel resulting from drag created by deployment of a current rudder on one side of the vessel only.
Earlier known methods for oil spill response operations in flowing waters entail either mooring the upstream end of the oil boom to the bottom, by anchor or fixed buoy or other fixed mooring device, or deploying the oil boom across the entire watercourse by mooring it to both shores to the disadvantage of any vessel traffic. Both these alternatives require a suitable boat for towing out the oil boom in the watercourse. Earlier known methods for oil spill recovery in open water require either two vessels towing the oil boom and possibly a third vessel for the actual oil recovery, or one vessel with a jib or mast rigged horizontally from the vessel side, alternatively from both sides, to which the end of the oil boom or oil booms are secured. The jibs or masts are subjected to great forces, and are often difficult to handle in heavy seas.
The object of the subject invention is to eliminate the major disadvantages with earlier known methods for oil spill response operations in flowing waters and to facilitate deployment and recovery of oil booms from shore by, in accordance with the patent claims, using a waterborne and remotely, e.g. by line, manoeuvred current rudder to tow one end of an oil boom to a suitable position in the watercourse and at any time recover the same to terminate operations or to let vessels pass through the area of operation. The current rudder and the required mooring and control lines can be transported, handled and deployed by two persons without the aid of any vessel. When deployed and positioned the operation of the current rudder and oil boom requires one person on the shore from which the device was deployed.